A Child for the Childless
by a girl who likes hockey
Summary: Dawn is in pain over not being able to have children. She is surprised to wake up from her nap to see her Baby Yoda plush doll come to life.


Dawn took a deep breath as she rode in the vehicle that would take her to the Halcyon, or as the rest of the world knew it, the new Star Wars hotel in Disney World. She sat across from a family of four. Identical twin boys were pretend fighting with toy lightsabers.

"Stop, you two!" the mother scolded them. "Wait until we get into the room to play!"

But the boys did not listen. They continued to battle until one of the lightsabers flew out of one of their hands and towards Dawn. She reached out and caught the toy easily.

"Boys, enough!" the father growled.

"It's okay," Dawn insisted. She handed the blue colored lightsaber back to one of the boys.

"Thank you!" the boy exclaimed happily. "You must be strong with the Force!"

"Why do you say that, Anikin?" his mother asked. Dawn raised an eyebrow when she heard the boy's name.

"She caught my lightsaber with one hand, Mommy!"

"I am not strong with the Force. It was a lucky catch," Dawn explained to Anikin.

"Daddy, are we almost there?" the other boy whined.

"Almost, Hayden" his dad responded. Dawn smiled at the boy's names.

"We are a big fan of the prequels, and of course, Anikin Skywalker," the mother stated sheepishly.

"I see," Dawn said, still smiling.

They arrived at check in. After a few minutes, Dawn was assigned her room. She waved goodbye to the family and headed to her room.

She sat down on the bed and looked out the window, which was full of stars. Dawn tried to fight it, but the tears quickly came. Seeing that family reminded her of the family she had lost, and the family she would never have. Her parents were deceased, and the doctors told her she would never have children of her own. She was given the option of adoption, but Dawn did not make enough money as a single woman to pursue that route.

She unpacked her suitcase and pulled out her plush Baby Yoda. It had been a birthday gift, and it was the cutest thing in the world. Since the TV show had not revealed the name of "The Child", Dawn decided to name it Mattie.

"You are the closest thing I will have to a child," she moaned weakly, as she laid down on the bed. She clung onto the plush, as she cried herself to sleep.

Dawn stirred awake a half hour later. At first, she thought she was dreaming of a little green hand, caressing her cheek. She fully opened her eyes and was shocked to see not a plush version, but a real life Baby Yoda staring at her.

"Agh!" Dawn screamed. Baby Yoda screamed back, scrambling away. He almost fell off the bed, but she reached out and caught him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Dawn assured him. He gave her a look of disbelief.

"I wasn't expecting you," she clarified, as she studied him. He had big eyes, pointed ears and smooth green skin. He tilted his head, as if he was studying her.

"Where do you come from?" Dawn wondered. Baby Yoda pointed to the window.

"Of course. You came from a galaxy far, far away," she chuckled in amusement. "But how did you get here, and how do I get you back home to Din?"

She noticed that he bowed his head in sorrow. He looked like he was about to cry!

"What's wrong?' Dawn asked. Baby Yoda moved his hands in a clapping motion. But his face was sad.

"There was an explosion," she guessed. He nodded his head and began to whimper. Dawn cradled Baby Yoda close to her.

"I am sorry, little one. I will try to find a way to get you back home," she promised, trying her best to comfort him. The child looked up at her and smiled.

Dawn sat up on the bed, with him in her lap. She was confused. How did her plush turn into a real life Baby Yoda? It did not make any sense.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt him trying to take off her Magic Band. She removed his hand and gently scolded,

"This is not a toy. I need this to get into the park tomorrow."

Baby Yoda gave her a sad look. Dawn sighed, thinking of what she could give to entertain them. Then she remembered. She went into her bag and pulled out her keys. She detached her Kylo Ren lightsaber keychain and gave it to him. He happily accepted it, and learned quickly how to turn the red light on and off.

"I'm hungry. How about you?"

Baby Yoda nodded his head, still fixated on turning the keychain on and off.

"I will order room service."

Dawn grabbed the menu from the nightstand and read it over.

"No frog legs on the menu." She chuckled when she saw him pout.

"How about some soup?"

Baby Yoda smiled widely. Dawn ordered two soups and chicken wings. As she waited for the food to come, she played with him.

"Do you have a name?" she asked. Baby Yoda shook his head in the negative.

"Din didn't name you?" she wondered incredulously. He turned his head away, and a soft sniffle escaped from him.

"I am sorry. The both of you were busy, running away from those who wanted to capture you," Dawn apologized.

Baby Yoda's melancholy eyes gazed at her. It reminded her of the scene from the show where the Mandalorian had turned his "bounty" in.

"Can I name you?"

He nodded his head.

"I am going to call you Mattie. That is, if it is okay with you."

She had to hold back a laugh when he did a happy dance on the bed.

"Ok, Mattie. I know you're happy. But no dancing on the bed," she teasingly scolded him. Mattie tilted his head downward. Dawn grinned before placing him on the floor, so that he could dance. She turned on the TV and put on Radio Disney, so that he could dance to the music. He extended his hand out to her.

"Fine." Dawn joined Mattie in dancing until room service knocked on the door. She grabbed him and laid him down on the bed.

"Lay very still. You need to pretend to be a toy," she explained to him. Mattie closed his eyes, understanding what she wanted him to do. Dawn shook her head in amusement as she got the food. Once the door was closed, Mattie hopped onto the nightstand.

"Here is your soup," she said, as she gave him the container. "Now stay there, while I go freshen up."

After finishing in the bathroom, Dawn walked back into the bedroom. She rolled her eyes. Mattie had finished his chicken soup, and was now eating the cheese from her French onion soup.

"That's my soup, Mattie." She was amazed when he swallowed the cheese in one big gulp.

"I guess it is yours now," she conceded. He cooed happily. Dawn chuckled and decided to dig into her chicken wings. She had a couple of wings before she felt eyes staring at her.

"Ok, Mattie." Dawn pulled a piece of chicken and offered it to him. He swallowed it quickly.

"I am going to have to get some snacks if you keep eating all my food." Mattie giggled when she said this.

After they finished eating, Dawn told Mattie,

"I have to go to lightsaber training. You need to stay here."

Her heart ached when she saw the sadness in his eyes. She signed in resignation.

"You will need to stay in my book bag, you understand?"

Mattie smiled. Dawn picked him up and gently placed him in the book bag.

"I'm glad I bought the Kylo Ren back pack with me," she said to herself, as she rubbed Mattie's head. She zipped it so that he would have enough air to breath.

"Stay in the bag. Do not get out for any reason."

Dawn swung the bag over her shoulder, and headed to the area of the hotel where the lightsaber training would occur. She saw the family from earlier, along with others, waiting for the instructor to come.

The instructor came and explained what the guests needed to do. Everyone was given a lightsaber. Dawn watched as people reflected the light shots with their weapons.

"Good luck!" both Anikin and Hayden shouted to her. Dawn smiled before positioning herself. An adrenaline rush flowed through her and she deflected the shots. Everyone was impressed by her accuracy.

Then it happened. The lightsaber flew out of Dawn's hands and into the sphere shooting the lights. The weapon split the sphere in half. She dropped her mouth open in shock.

"Wow!" the instructor gasped, as he studied the now ruined sphere. "You got a perfect score. This has never happened before!"

Dawn could hear the other guests clap for her.

"You are strong with the Force!" Anikin gleefully exclaimed. This caused everyone but Dawn to laugh. The crowd dispersed, leaving the perfect scorer and the instructor to stare at the destroyed sphere.

"I am sorry," she managed to mutter.

"Don't worry, we have a replacement," the instructor, whose name was Joe, assured her. "However, I don't think you need any more lightsaber training."

She blushed as he winked at her. Gathering her courage, Dawn asked,

"What do I owe you for the damaged sphere?"

"Nothing," Joe replied. "In fact, the hotel will give you a surprise for having a perfect score. Now if you will excuse me, I will work on your surprise."

As soon as Joe stepped away, Dawn grabbed her back pack and dashed to the closest bathroom. Thankfully, no one was in there. She entered a stall, opened her bag and pulled out Mattie.

"You can't do that!" she yelled at him. "It was pretend! I wasn't in any danger!"

She felt his body shake. Dawn sighed. She had forgotten that he was only a child. From his perspective, he felt she was in danger.

"It's okay, Mattie," she comforted him, as she heard his little cries. It took a few minutes for him to calm down.

"Let's go explore," Dawn suggested. Mattie gave her a big smile.

"Remember, you need to stay in the bag." He pouted when she said this. Then Dawn had an idea.

"Let's see how well you can pretend to be a toy."

Dawn left the bathroom. She positioned Mattie in the bag, so that only his head was sticking out. They visited the Atrium, the Bridge and the Engineering Room.

"Very cool," Dawn thought to herself, as she decided to make one last stop at the Silver C Lounge. She was led to the bar area. Mattie was now fully inside her bag.

"What can I get you, miss?" the bartender.

"One non-alcoholic Blue Milk, please," Dawn replied. She was annoyed when she felt her back pack move. She placed her hand on it so that Mattie would stop moving.

After the bartender served her the Blue Milk, he said,

"Nice back pack. Are you the one that got the perfect score in lightsaber training?"

"Yes," Dawn admitted, still embarrassed by what happened.

"Very cool. Your tab is on the house."

"Thank you, you are too kind."

Dawn finished her Blue Milk. She decided to order a Blue Milk to go. After exiting the lounge, she went to a secluded corner and gave Mattie the cup.

"Do not spill," she gently warmed him. He nodded his head, before slurping on the drink.

"Not so loud, Mattie!" This was said with a smile on Dawn's face. As they headed back to her room, she sadly thought,

"I am going to have to let you go."

While Dawn was exploring the Halcyon, Joe and another hotel employee entered her room. They were carrying Dawn's surprise.

"Are you sure she will like this?" the hotel employee asked.

"Absolutely," Joe replied confidently. "She has the back pack that is sold at Launch Bay. She will like everything, especially the plush bear."

Dawn arrived back in her room. She felt Mattie thrashing inside her bag. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, she pulled him out. He looked terrified.

"Why are you scared?" she quizzed him. He pointed to the room, and tried to scramble out of her arms. But she held him tight.

"Please don't go. If you leave, I will be all alone," she softly pleaded.

Mattie looked up and saw the tears streaking down her face. He glanced nervously at the door before meeting her gaze.

Dawn was relieved when he stopped squirming. He gave her a pensive look before nodding his head.

"I will protect you, I promise," she vowed, as she used her Magic Band to enter the room. Mattie shook nervously.

"It's okay, Mattie..." Dawn started to say, before she saw the reason why he was scared. She flinched as the door slammed shut. She tried to take a step backwards, but couldn't.

"Oh no!" she thought fearfully, as she stared at her bed. There were a box of chocolates, a bouquet of red roses... and a familiar masked Star Wars character sitting on her bed. But it wasn't a plush toy, or a figurine.

"The girl I heard so much about," a very real Kylo Ren said to a stunned Dawn and a petrified Mattie.


End file.
